Abstract

The present study investigates the link between multilingualism and the personality
trait of cognitive empathy among 2158 mono- and multilinguals. Data were
collected through an online questionnaire. Statistical analyses revealed that the
knowledge of more languages was not linked to cognitive empathy. Bilingual
upbringing and the experience of having lived abroad were equally unrelated to
cognitive empathy. Gender and education level were linked to cognitive empathy.
Most interestingly, a small but significant positive correlation emerged between
multilingualism (operationalised as advanced levels of proficiency in several
foreign languages and frequent use of these languages) and cognitive empathy.
Further analysis revealed that frequent use of multiple languages was linked to
higher levels of cognitive empathy, which could be interpreted as an indication of
multicompetence.

Item Type:

Article

Keyword(s) / Subject(s):

multilingualism, personality, cognitive empathy, levels of proficiency in several languages